After Dumping the Female Lead, It's My Turn to Cry - Chapter 12

Although she had agreed to the task, Ruan Yubai hadn’t actually figured out how to approach the female lead.

For one thing, they weren’t even in the same class anymore. Qing Ling had already moved into the dormitory and Ruan Yubai couldn’t just intercept her in the hallway with a confident “Hey, wifey!” If she did, she’d probably be assassinated by the male lead that very night.

Of course, Ruan Yubai had tried texting Qing Ling a few times, but after two or three messages vanished without a trace, she understood that the other party didn’t want to be disturbed and naturally stopped wasting her efforts.

Moreover, after spending some time together, Ruan Yubai had gained a basic understanding of the female lead’s personality. Just as described in the novel, aside from necessary conversations about matters at hand, Qing Ling preferred to be alone. She usually kept to herself at Laureus Academy, maintaining a certain distance from other students. Otherwise, how could she have earned the title of the noble, aloof young lady?

Given her nature, Qing Ling would never allow anyone to observe her during training sessions. It was precisely this proud demeanor that made her subsequent exceptions for the male lead all the more special.

Thinking this, Ruan Yubai unconsciously pursed her lips, bent down to pick up her change of clothes, and headed to her swimming class.

Though it was already early autumn, thanks to Laureus’s powerful heating system, the outdoor swimming pool was surprisingly warm, creating the illusion that one wasn’t swimming but soaking in a hot spring.

So, Ruan Yubai happily carried jelly beans in her left hand and a small bottle of sake in her right, folded a towel over her forehead, and leisurely immersed herself in the shallow end, openly enjoying a blissful nap.

Most students who came to Laureus still harbored great ambitions to become mechanics, mecha pilots, or even fleet commanders. Thus, the courses they chose were mostly highly specialized and competitive.

Since useless credit-filler courses like swimming had few takers, it was one of the rare classes at Laureus where all grades merged. Some students from lower-ranked classes came hoping to latch onto academic elites, while many from top-tier classes attended to bask in the admiration of others. It was a perfect match.

At that moment, an elite from Class A in the deep end performed a dramatic doggy paddle, face-planting into the water with a splash that drew exclamations of awe from onlookers. They praised the colossal splash as “S-tier,” and even the teacher removed her goggles to join in the fun, suggesting they hold a bizarre competition later to see who could make the most elegant “butt-first” water entry.

Naturally, Ruan Yubai wasn’t among them. She was just a true slacker here to enjoy the hot spring experience.

Since most people had gathered in the deep end to watch the spectacular diving, the shallow area was nearly empty. Ruan Yubai had somehow procured a small tray with chilled, vibrant red watermelon. Each bite, eaten with a fork, was refreshingly cool. Paired with a mildly spicy, low-alcohol sake amidst the steam, it felt like a paradise she wouldn’t trade for anything.

Why bother with the plot?

Ruan Yubai let out a soft, happy sigh, then flipped over leisurely, a relaxed smile curling at the corners of her lips. Her sweet almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents as she submerged half of her flushed, fair face in the water, nearly blowing a string of bubbles with each breath.

At some point, a clamor of noise suddenly reached her ears. At first, Ruan Yubai thought it was her imagination, but as the sounds grew louder instead of fading, she lifted her round head from the water in confusion.

“Hey, are you Ruan Yubai? The one from Class F?”

Isn’t that obvious? Is there someone else with the same name?

Still dazed from the warm water, Ruan Yubai hadn’t fully shaken off the cozy drowsiness from her nap. Her round eyes shimmered with a gentle mist, and her lips, moistened by the water, took on a delicate pink hue like crushed cherry blossom petals, exuding a tender, translucent charm.

The person questioning her couldn’t help but narrow their eyes and unconsciously lick their lips.

To be fair, Ruan Yubai’s swimwear was quite modest, unlike the revealing outfits of her classmates by the poolside. Her light-blue swimsuit with its wavy pattern could even be considered childish. After all, she had only come to enjoy a relaxing soak her one-piece swimsuit was from a beach vacation years ago.

Over the years, as she had grown taller, her figure had become more graceful. Her chest, full and beautifully shaped like dewdrops, made the once slightly oversized swimsuit now seem almost inadequate, barely containing her curves.

Since Ruan Yubai had truly intended to treat the swimming lesson like a hot spring session, she had draped a white towel over her shoulders. Now, the soft cotton fabric drifted with the water’s ripples, faintly obscuring her submerged silhouette beneath the dappled shadows of overhanging branches.

Compared to those who bared more skin, her subtle concealment only made one more curious to part the turquoise waves and uncover what lay beneath.

“Don’t you like Qing Ling? I’m from Class A, and I know a secret about her. Want to hear it?”

Qing Ling?

Ruan Yubai blinked, a droplet of water trembling on her lashes before she casually wiped it away. Her slender, pale fingers, softened by the water, looked even more delicate, with adorable dimples on the back of her hands that made one want to poke them playfully.

She mumbled under her breath, “I really don’t like Qing Ling.”

By then, Nan Zhuge was no longer listening. His gaze was completely captivated by the girl’s faintly flushed cheeks tinged pink from the sake she had sipped and her lips, slightly pouted in a hint of grievance. She seemed enveloped in a delicate, ethereal beauty.

Nan Zhuge’s mind went blank. Unconsciously, his Alpha pheromones surged forth, thick and potent. The Omegas who had followed him nearly collapsed, weakened by the smoky scent of his pheromones. Yet Ruan Yubai remained unaffected. She finished the last sip of her sake, wrinkling her nose almost imperceptibly.

This smoky smell is just awful.

As a Beta, she couldn’t emit pheromones, but she also wasn’t swayed by them. She could detect the scent but to her, it was merely an odor.

This annoying Alpha’s eyes were glazed over. Clearly knowing nothing about Qing Ling, he still insisted on fabricating nonsense: “Ever since she joined the class, this young lady has been holed up in the lab doing who knows what. Every time she comes out, she reeks of blood so strong it almost overpowers her natural pheromones.”

Unconsciously, Nan Zhuge had lost the primal desire to dominate Omegas that most Alphas possessed. Because of the girl before him, he even saw the noble, aloof young lady as a rival, relentlessly slandering her: “Isn’t it terrifying? We all suspect she’s conducting live experiments on humans.”

A lab?

Ruan Yubai shook her head, gradually regaining her senses. She glanced at the person in front of her, whose features bore a striking resemblance to the male lead, and asked with a hint of realization, “Are you Nan Zhuge?”

[Although they were blood-related brothers, Nan Zhudi and Nan Zhuge had completely different temperaments. Nan Zhuge exuded a reckless, ignorant boldness, in simpler terms, he was brainless. Meanwhile, Nan Zhudi, though seemingly unremarkable at first glance, revealed his sharp intellect the moment one looked into his deep, expressive eyes.]

To highlight the male lead’s domineering aura, the author didn’t even spare his own brother.

This toxic masculinity is truly unacceptable.

Nan Zhuge had no idea what she was thinking. When he saw the girl frown slightly, he assumed she was frightened and immediately pressed on: “Don’t be afraid. I can protect you from that lunatic, as long as you’re willing…”

Honestly, Qing Ling, an Omega, was more ferocious than all the Alphas combined. She appeared delicate and beautiful, but her combat skills were off the charts. Who in their right mind would dare harass or mark her?

None of them were as enticing as the lovely Beta before him.

Unfortunately, before Nan Zhuge could finish his sentence, a sharp whistle pierced the air.

The “Wild Geese Alighting on the Sandbank” water competition had ended, and the teacher’s whistle signaled the end of class. Even if Nan Zhuge wanted to say more to Ruan Yubai, he couldn’t outright defy the teacher. Reluctantly, he made his way to the Class A area to wait for dismissal.

However, after the students dispersed, just as Nan Zhuge was about to grab Ruan Yubai, he realized the girl who had been obediently standing in the corner had vanished.

Where did she run off to? Did she go back to soak in the pool again?

Puzzled, Nan Zhuge scanned the clear water’s surface but found no trace of the girl who had been lazily lounging there earlier. All he saw was his own reflection staring back at him.

#Two Pigs Staring Madly at Each Other#

If Ruan Yubai were there, she would definitely caption it like that.

But Ruan Yubai was no longer thinking about soaking in the hot springs. After quickly changing her clothes, she followed the vague clues from the cheesy novel and stealthily made her way into the rarely visited teaching building. The pungent smell of formaldehyde assaulted her senses.

Unfortunately, after searching two floors without finding the female lead, Ruan Yubai couldn’t help but frown.

Even though she knew Qing Ling was in the lab building, the place was simply too vast. If she had to search room by room like this, she’d probably still be at it by the time the Zerg invaded on doomsday.

Ruan Yubai was originally a lazy fish without much resilience, and at that moment, she felt like turning around and leaving, lowering her head to Lin Yi to admit defeat. After all, it was only because she was caught up in the heat of the moment and spoke impulsively that things had escalated to this point. Now, Ruan Yubai no longer had the fiery temper she’d had back then.

Besides, what good would it do to prove that she and the female lead had a marriage contract? In the end, it would only lead to the contract being dissolved. And if Ruan Yubai brought it up prematurely, it might even cause additional trouble.

Although Ruan Yubai wanted to mess with the protagonist’s plans, that didn’t mean she was willing to suffer eight thousand losses just to inflict a hundred on the enemy.

With these thoughts in mind, Ruan Yubai turned to leave, but her eyes lit up when she spotted a figure at the corner.

Oh ho, isn’t that the male lead?

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